Quebec’s legislation to further enforce the use of French in the province creates an “opportunity” for the federal Liberals as a national election looms this year, says a veteran Quebec senator. “Crisis equals opportunity,” said Dennis Dawson, who was appointed to the Senate in 2005 on the recommendation of then-prime minister Paul Martin after three terms as … Read more
Non-Francophones hold widely diverging views from French-speaking Quebecers on Bill 96, which aims to enforce and reinforce the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101). A majority of Anglophones and Allophones also believe the debate over the proposed legislation will strain relations between the majority and minority communities. That is one of the findings of … Read more
The results of the poll were collected via a web panel conducted by Léger for the Quebec Community Groups Network and the Association for Canadian Studies among a sample of 1501 Quebecers, 18 years of age or older from May 14 to 19, 2021. The survey included a sample of 573 Quebecers with languages other … Read more
In Le Devoir, columnist Konrad Yakabuski notes that QCGN President Marlene Jennings warned the federal government that Bill 96 jeopardizes the constitutional rights of linguistic minorities and imperils the integrity of Canada’s constitutional architecture. Expect more voices to be added to that of Jennings in the coming weeks, he writes, adding that that Prime Minister … Read more
Draft Bill 96 leaves it up to the municipal council to save Chelsea’s bilingual status. The proposed amendment to Quebec law, the Canadian Constitution, and the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms would make it harder for English-only speaking Quebec residents to access services and information in English from their municipality. Quebec Community Groups Network … Read more
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments that Quebec can unilaterally rewrite sections of the Constitution have upset representatives of the English-speaking community. But the federal Justice Minister, David Lametti, insisted later that the federal government has not forgotten it has a role guarding the rights of Canadian minorities, including anglophones in Quebec. Jennings expressed her worry about what Bill … Read more
Despite concerns by anglophone interest groups over the possible infringement of freedoms and rights, Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeete, Premier François Legault’s liaison to Quebec’s English-speaking community, is defending Bill 96, the CAQ government’s proposed new law updating the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101). “The Quebec Community Groups Network deeply regrets that proposed changes … Read more
In his first comments since the announcement of Quebec’s most notable language reforms in decades, Mr. Trudeau said Tuesday that the province can amend part of the Constitution to underscore that it is a nation and that its official language is French – adding that both things have already been recognized by the federal government. … Read more
Quebec Premier Francois Legault’s claim that his province can unilaterally change Canada’s constitution to recognize Quebec as a nation and French as its only official and common language has suddenly become a lot more serious. That’s because the support of the Canadian government would be needed to approve it and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears … Read more
The Legault government’s new language reform bill is getting mixed reviews. Global’s Laura Casella invites Quebec Community Groups Network president Marlene Jennings to share reactions from some of its members. Warnings by the QCGN of a range of unintended consequences as a result of the Bill 96 proposals thus far seem unheeded, she adds: “It … Read more
Quebec Premier François Legault wants to change Canada’s Constitution to better protect the French language, a move that could affect everything from immigration and education to policies outside the province’s borders. Matt Galloway discusses the new legislation with host of Radio-Canada’s Midi-Info and longtime political journalist Michel C Auger; the CBC’s chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton; and president … Read more
Arguments over language are nothing new in Quebec, but with a changing landscape that leans towards multiculturalism, some are asking if it might be time to put the debate to rest. Thursday, Quebec’s language debate was once again thrown into the spotlight when the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) tabled an aggressive piece of legislation to reform Bill … Read more